The Dixon Investigation
by TheTurkeySandwich
Summary: This is a story based off of 'The Hamilton Incident', a video by Elite: Dangerous YouTuber 'Vindicator Jones'. Jones is now working on his own continuation of the Hamilton Incident, and as such, my work cannot be considered 'canon' in any way. I wrote it just after he posted the original video (6 hours after in fact). I hope you all enjoy it!
1. Chapter 1

A single bright silver star shone brilliantly, as if it were trying to outdo all other stars, blissfully unaware of its insignificance in the grand scheme of things. It wasn't alone, at least. It had a few, unremarkable, small rocky bodies slowly orbiting it. Despite how generic and unimportant this unnamed system may be; it has nonetheless attracted some attention.

A salvage ship, an Anaconda class vessel named _Hamilton_ , passed through here looking for salvage. The ship hasn't been heard from since, and its disappearance made news in local systems, but went largely unnoticed by the larger powers. Ships go missing daily, after all, and all manner of mechanical failures, crew errors, or even pirate bands could have contributed to this disappearance. The _Hamilton_ would have been forgotten along with thousands of other lost vessels, if it weren't for a single man who happened to be sitting in a dim drinking hole in a trading outpost which was the _Hamilton's_ last port of call. This man was Rickshaw Mason, a bounty hunter and occasional trader, with a keen interest in all thing mysterious. Rick saw the news article and thought it warranted a look. Anything to break the monotony of HazRes pirate hunting and cargo transport.

Rickshaw Mason, however, is only one of his personas. For this venture, he would need to don his former identity, that of former Marquis Cyril Caelus of the Empire. For this rescue, and maybe even salvage, operation he would need resources and equipment that his Python lacked. He made a secret, encrypted communique to one of his friends and asked if they could meet at this unexplored system.

. . . . . . . . . .

Captain Darragh Oisin looked out on the bright star disappearing from view as the _Donnager_ maneuvered away after coming out of witch-space. He was contacted out of the blue by his former Lord, Marquis Cyril Caelus, who gave him a rather cryptic order; to retrieve the _Donnager_ from hiding and bring it to this useless system far out on the Frontier in search of a simple salvage vessel, the _Hamilton_. Why Lord Caelus wanted the _Donnager_ specifically he didn't say. Nevertheless, if his Lord deemed it necessary for him to not only navigate the perilous asteroid field concealing the station that held this ship, locate the _Donnager_ specifically, and bring it all the way out to the Frontier, then Captain Oisin would do so.

The _Donnager_ itself was a modified Clipper, outfitted for ground assault, with all the radars and sensors you would expect for ground operations. It also had a colossal 'Thunderer' cannon housed where the fighter bay would be. This cut their complement to two Imperial Fighters.

"Captain," The systems officer, Maeve, was a middle aged woman who had been serving with Oisin for years, ever since he got his first command. She was listening to the various signals bouncing around the system. Much of it was background, but one caught her attention. "I may have something."

Captain Oisin, still a member of the Imperial fleet, along with his crew, secretly remained loyal to Marquis Caelus. For this mission, they all donned their former uniforms; simple white outfits with orange and teal trim. The captain walked over the Maeve. "Report."

"A distress signal of some kind, emanating from this planet," she gestured to the system map. "It's degenerating; I think it has stopped being transmitted."

"This may be what Lord Caelus wants us to find," the Oisin turned around, "Helm, plot a course."

"Yes, sir."

The Cutter maneuvered. the reduced G forces mess with people's heads sometimes, but that is what it's like in supercruise. Over several minutes, a featureless, brown, rocky world slowly grew to fill the large bridge canopy.

' **Orbital Flight engaged'** the computer chimed.

The pilot rotated the Donnager, so it was now parallel with the ground, and maintained orbit.

"Captain, I'm picking up a new contact," announced Maeve, "A point of interest. It seems to be a settlement of some kind. A salvage vessel like the _Hamilton_ would make a good profit from an abandoned settlement."

"Very well, take us down."

Within seconds, the ship lurched as it exited supercruise and glided ever closer to the surface. The settlement came into view. It was only visible as reflected light at first, but the shape of round habitation modules slowly formed.

"Captain, the settlement appears to be abandoned, I'm not detecting any heat signatures or movement, but there are some very feint seismic spikes. If we weren't in the _Donnager_ , they would have gone unnoticed."

"Is that strange?"

"Depends on the planet. This one is unexplored and, without a full survey, I cannot make an informed conclusion. It presents no immediate danger, and the fact there is a settlement there means it is harmless."

"Regardless, let's be careful. Launch the fighters, have them do close air reconnaissance."

Dull thuds echoed throughout the ship and the launching mechanisms fired the Gu-97 'Hunters' out of their bays and away from the ship. The spindly forms arced in on the settlement, transmitting telemetry back the _Donnager_.

A new contact flared on the ship's sensors. An Imperial Clipper just dropped out of supercruise. As it closed, its sensor profile solidified, and it was identified as the _Deviant Reprisal_ , the personal ship of former Marquis Cyril Caelus.

"Ah, sir Caelus, I'm glad you could join us."

"Sorry I'm late. It's been a while since I've had to wear a formal uniform. I've forgotten how difficult they are to put on."

"Gotten used to an outlaw's life have we?" Oisin joked.

"Probably, though I have missed my Clipper, this thing is a joy to fly." Unlike other Imperial leaders, Caelus promotes an easy going, relaxed atmosphere of equality, not superiority, probably because of his Federal heritage. This definitely contributed to his being forced into hiding, though any opportunity to make contact with some old friends was welcome. Being in hiding over the last year has definitely shaved off a lot of his acquired formality, but he would gladly give up his freedom for reinstatement, though that won't happen for a long time.

"With all due respect sir, is it worth the risk coming out of hiding for a simple missing ship, and for a salvage vessel no less? They were surely criminals anyway."

Cyril brought his Clipper down meters off the surface and did a low speed fly-by of the settlement. The large one-hundred-meter-long graceful from of the Clipper dwarfed both the Hunters and the settlement. "Do be honest, I'm curious. This sort of incident would normally go overlooked, but with everything else that has been happening - aliens and the like - I feel that this deserves an investigation. And I also feel I'm the only one who thinks that," Cyril lowered his voice, "Because those politicians need to politic."

"Shall I give the situation report?"

"Please do." Cyril brought the Clipper up and circled the _Donnager_. The _Donnager_ was larger, but not by much.

"We entered the system 20 minutes ago and, after brief scouting run in supercruise, detected this settlement. Preliminary scans show it as abandoned, though we are detecting slight energy readings and feint seismic activity. Something to note is we detected the remnant signals of a distress beacon. We triangulated it to this planet, though we cannot find a source. It is possible that there was an active beacon here that has since been disabled. We have not yet attempted ground reconnaissance. We have not found any trace of the _Hamilton_. Should we leave and continue searching the system?"

"What kind of transmitter did the distress beacon have?"

"Radio. We would have detected any hyperspace transmission lightyears away."

"The _Hamilton_ was here. They would have entered the system and gone straight for the source of the distress signal, if they behaved like typical vultures that is. Regardless of whether they were here or not, we should investigate the settlement. Strange energy and seismic readings have piqued my curiosity. I'll take my SRV and inspect the town."

"Aye, sir."

Cyril brought the _Deviant Reprisal_ down slowly with grace you wouldn't normally associate with such a large vessel. The _Donnager_ remained in flight, hovering a few hundred meters up and away from the settlement. "That's odd," Maeve said, confused.

"What?" asked Oisin.

"When the _Reprisal_ touched down, seismic activity spiked."

"It couldn't have been the impact from landing?" the captain asked as he leant over her to view the holographic readouts.

"I'm sure. Seismic activity has been at a constant low this whole time, but when Sir Caelus landed, it became slightly more intense."

"Is he at risk?"

"I don't think so; it could just be tectonic movement underground."

"Do you have ground penetrating radar?" interjected Cyril.

"Yes," replied the captain. He smiled. That _was why he wanted the_ Donnager _specifically._ "It works, but it probably isn't in very good condition. Systems like that tend to suffer if they aren't maintained regularly It'll take us a while to map out the area."

"Focus on the settlement first, then slowly circle it. Have the fighters spread out and scout out a twenty kilometre circle."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Fighters report the settlement appears abandoned," said Maeve.

The _Donnager_ moved in position above the settlement, hovering just one hundred above the surface. The systems officer fires up the ground penetrating radar.

. . . . . . . . . .

Cyril Caelus hated extravehicular activity. In a ship, you are safe, not from guns and missiles of course, but you accept that risk, and you can normally see them coming and can do something about it. In a space suit however, all it takes in one little snag, and there is a rip. Pressure goes, your lungs burst, and you are nothing but a very cold corpse. This particular venture however, was getting his adrenaline flowing just thinking about it. Missing ship, abandoned settlement, strange signals, underground vibrations. Any sane person would run the other way. Cyril wouldn't because of his insatiable curiosity, and the _Hamilton_ wouldn't because of the salvage opportunity, so on it was with the EV suit, and out with the SRV.

Despite the Clipper's size, Caelus was flying alone. A year ago, he flew out of Ackerman Market in his Sidewinder alone, he flew trading missions in a Cobra Mk IV alone, and he has since been piloting his Python alone. He looked at the array of EV suits along the wall and thought back to his old crew; friends that had defected with him from the Federation all those years ago. A pang of loneliness rushed over him, but he quickly pushed it away. He chose this lifestyle. Best he takes the brunt of the Empire's justice, lest his friends suffer for it.

He ordered the computer to place the SRV in the cargo chute, and entered the large bulbous cockpit. Slowly, the ship's cargo arm lowered it to the surface, and with dull thumps the wheel arms extended and the vehicle was dropped onto the fine soil.

"SRV touchdown. Transmitting camera feed. Are you receiving?"

"Yes, sir." Replied the captain.

"Alright, I'm heading towards the settlement now."

"Be aware," Maeve chimed in, "seismic activity has been increasing slightly."

"I don't feel anything."

"It's still very feint, sir, but increasing nonetheless."

As Cyril crested a rise, the settlement came into view. "I'm picking up some strange signals, and they are definitely coming from the colony."

"Are you sure. We detected some strange echoes as well, but we thought it was just background radiation."

"The Wave Scanner is telling me there's movement."

"I thought you said the fighters reported the settlement was abandoned?" Oisin asked Maeve.

"They did, and our sensors aren't showing…I swear, that wasn't there when we entered orbit."

"I believe you," the captain said quietly, equally confused.

Cyril continued to approach the colony, and he entered through its main 'gate', a sign supported by two posts positioned over what could be considered a main road. _'Dixon Dock', never heard of it._

"That's odd. I see SRV tracks leading into the settlement."

"An SRV isn't showing on scanners," reported Maeve.

"Do you see it?" asked Oisin.

"No, though there is a lot of shadow. Can I get some light down here?"

"Of course, sir." Moments later, large searchlights bathed the colony in white light.

Eyes. A face stared at him from a building only meters away. The shadowy figure disappeared as quickly as it has appeared.

"SHIT!" cried Cyril.

"What?"

"I thought I just saw…" Cyril's heart was pounding. He stared at the building, unable to look away. "Must have been a trick of the light," he sighed. "I'll follow the tracks."

"Sorry sir, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Me? Frightened? Never," Cyril forced a smile, grabbed the controls, and continued his drive.

Despite the light, and the presence of a massive friendly ship overhead, Cyril's heart didn't stop pounding. The image of that ghastly, dark face was burned into his vision. He could swear he saw it, peering at him from the dark shadow, and his Wave Scanner wasn't helping. It was telling him there was movement, lots of it, but he couldn't see a thing.

Slowly but surely, Cyril crept his SRV deeper into the town, trying to suppress the overwhelming feeling of being watched. The movement patterns on the Wave Scanner were behaving strangely, as if the objects were flickering in and out of existence. He wished it would provide him with more detailed information like distances, the simple wave patterns being generated on the holographic strip just weren't enough.

"Sir, the ground penetrating radar is behaving strangely." Maeve's soft voice provided welcome comfort from the eerie notes of the Wave Scanner. "I'm not getting a proper image; it shifts whenever I scan the next zone."

"What does the full image look like?" asked Cyril.

"Like a botched panorama photo, lines and shapes that don't match up. I think the device is too far gone to use."

 _Or something is moving._

Cyril had no idea where that thought came from, but it chilled him to the core. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to contemplate.

"Captain, seismic activity has spiked!"

Cyril felt it this time, the ground was definitely shaking. His Wave Scanner started screaming. Movement flourished all around, but there was still nothing to see. Cyril felt a lump develop in his throat, and his eyes begin to water.

 _Genuine fear._

"That's it, I'm leaving." Cyril opened the throttle and yanked on the control yoke, pulling his SRV around and speeding back towards his ship.

"Seismic activity is now highly localised; it's becoming centred around the _Deviant Reprisal_."

"What! Explain," barked Cyril.

"Recall the fighters, now!" ordered the captain.

"Ground stability is weakening. My Lord, don't approach your ship…"

"Good god…" came the captain's astonished voice.

Cyril, ignoring Maeve's warnings, accelerated.

"My lord…"

Cyril crested the rise. There was nothing. Dust settled around an empty, desolate field.

"How!?" cried Caelus. His fear became infused with rage. His precious ship, his first command, his only real home left. It was gone, just gone, not even a trace.

"It was as if the land just…swallowed it whole." Oisin was stunned.

"Seismic activity has settled to just before…the Reprisal disappeared."

Cyril turned the SRV around for another look at the settlement. The Wave Scanner was calm, no more movement. His rage subsided, being replace with sorrow, but his fear soon dealt with that.

 _How does a ship just disappear? What was all that movement?_

"Um, sir. I'm sorry to disturb you," came Oisin's voice, "but we're picking up a signal, and you'll want to listen to it."

Cyril glanced at his panels, "I'm picking it up too," he said in a dull monotone, "Let me hear it."

An electronic, yet eerily human, female voice filled the communications channel. " _Settlement clear. Enter when ready._ "

 _That's the_ Reprisal's _computer!_

"Sir, isn't that the voice of your ship's computer?"

" _Settlement clear. Please, Commander Caelus, you must investigate._ "

Cyril's breaths became short and ragged, "The computer never addresses me personally. It's not programmed to."

" _Settlement clear. Please Commander Caelus_ …" the computer paused, and its voice changed to a barely discernible warble, " _…Run…Run…Run…Run…Run…Run…"_

Movement again, lots of it, centred on the settlement, but growing stronger, as if a swarm was coming towards him. The ground started shaking again. "Pick me up, now!" Tears welled in Cyril's eyes. The feeling of genuine fear again.

The _Donnager_ slowly moved towards him. It didn't extend its landing gear; this would be a hot retrieval. Cracks appeared in the ground around him.

"Hurry up!"

The cargo hatch of the large ship opened and its crane extended down and latched onto the SRV, causing it to lurch. Dust flew up around him, blocking his vision. Another lurch. The wheels retracted. Grey metal slowly descended around him as the vehicle was lifted into the cargo hold of the _Donnager_. The hatch below him sealed and the high G forces of intense manoeuvring pushed him back into his chair followed the dull symphony of boosting Imperial engines. After a short few seconds, the ship lurched again, and the G forces relented. They were in supercruise.

Caelus clambered out the bulbous cockpit and collapsed onto the ground. His legs were jelly, his pulse was thready, his breathing erratic. A definite panic attack. Medics rushed to him and put him on a stretcher. He silently vowed to return to this world…with his armada.

One thing is certain, this unremarkable system, is now on Cyril's watch list.


	2. Chapter 2

_Finally, a reason to come out of hiding._

 _Fringe conspiracy groups are buzzing with excitement today as a cryptic message made its way around human inhabited space over GalNet. The small, encrypted text file consists of a single sentence followed by an undecipherable alphanumeric sequence which gives no indication as to who it is meant for, or who sent it, and there doesn't seem to be any response. Local system authorities have dismissed it as a hoax or simple hooliganism, but rumour has it the Federation has dispatched an envoy to the Imperial capitol. One thing is for certain, shadowy powers are beginning to make their move._

"Amateurs," Cyril scoffed as he closed the GalNet feed, "Dark powers have been mobilising for years." He leant back and stroked the stubble on his chin that had grown steadily over the last few days. He sent his message a few days ago, and he hoped it didn't fall on blind eyes. He had a lot of faith in his friends, but Cyril had to make the message as cryptic as possible, lest their mission be discovered by the wrong people. He stood up from the booth and made his way to the door, depositing his plastic 'space-cup' on the way.

"C'ya, Rick," called the bartender, a colossal man wearing only pants and covered in tattoos.

"Later," Cyril called back.

Slipher Hub is an odd place for an Imperial fugitive to hide. Not only is it deep in Imperial space, but it is also a stopping point on the great Imperial Slave (and illegal slave) trading routes, so its security is phenomenal. It is under the watchful eye of Zemina Torval, the biggest player in the Imperial Slave industry, and it is also a hotly contested planet by no less than three Imperial Senators. Even after all that, Cyril Caelus still considers this place a home. It is only a few lightyears from Futhorc, the former heart of the Network of Independent Imperial Systems, which he founded, and he has always had a love of both high technology and rumours, both of which are brought in abundance by the traders which frequent the port.

Cyril walked through the slums, trudging through discarded garbage and being very careful not to bump into anyone. There are some types who would use any excuse to start a fight. Once he was in the elevator, he entered 'Ship Storage' and held on to one of bars as the lift slowly descended. The large starports spin to provide comfortable gravity, though this is only felt the further away you are from the centre. As you close in to the middle of the station, the artificial gravity gets weaker. With a ding, the elevator halted and the doors slid open. With a gentle push he glided out of the lift before engaging his mag-boots and continuing the trek, his strong, proud stance hiding even the ungainly strides normally associated with walking in zero-g.

He reached a door and ran his hand over a pad next to it. The chip implanted in his hand transmitted the identity of Rickshaw Mason and the computer allowed access to the hangar. The door opened and freezing air, cooled by the constant opening of airlocks into a vacuum, washed over him. This was the Hangar Deck. The second level from the large cylindrical landing area in the centre of a starport. Here, ships that weren't making a quick stop on the pads on the surface, or undergoing maintenance or retrofit in the single hangars, would be stored here, so they weren't obstructing others seeking to use the station's facilities. It was essentially a large warehouse that wrapped around the port. The only ship Cyril was interested in, however, was his own. Placed in medium berth 105 was a Faulcon DeLacy Python - _Fate's Reach_.

Cyril liked the Python. It was the closest he could get an elegant design without drawing too much attention to himself, like he would with a Saud Kruger or Gutamaya model. It's also a good ship, which is a plus. Once on board, he instructed the computer to request departure clearance while he went to the bathroom to freshen up after days in hiding. By the time he made it to the bridge, his ship was on the top floor, ready to go.

"Slipher control, this is _Fate's Reach_ , departing now."

"Roger that Commander. Have a save journey," replied a woman with a thick Imperial accent, who also sounded incredibly bored.

Cyril exited the station and aligned his ship with the first waypoint on the journey to HR 2551. He paused. Over the last few days, he had done his best to avoid thinking about it, but the time was now. He would be returning to that world, to that place, where he lost his precious Clipper, and very nearly, his own life. Regardless of how he may feel, the pieces were put in place, now was the time to make a move. He fired up the frame-shift drive, and with a stomach churning lurch, he was away.

. . . . . . . . . .

Captain Darragh Oisin observed the sinister ball of rock as it grew to encompass his view from the bridge. Although he hadn't experienced what his Lord Cyril did on the planet's surface, seeing the ground swallow an entire ship, then leave absolutely no trace, not even a hole…it was enough to make even the most hardened starfarer nervous. He stroked his clean shaven chin, doing his best to hide his concern.

"Helm, hold orbit. Exit supercruise at altitude three-hundred kilometres," he ordered, "Comms, relay those orders to the _Valiant_."

His crew acknowledged his instructions.

Captain Oisin wasn't the only one who received Cyril's cryptic message. Standing authoritatively next to him, wearing the same white uniform with orange and teal trim, was a dark skinned, thirty-something year old, woman with long black hair held in a ponytail - Calli Lenz. For the few short years of Cyril's reign, Calli served as his most trusted servant. She was co-administrator of the Network, head of Network Intelligence and his personal bodyguard. Her training in the Imperial Intelligence Academy proved a valuable asset in all these duties, and her chequered past served just as well while in hiding.

"It doesn't look like much," she said.

"That's what I thought too, milady."

"Don't start that 'milady' crap again. I tolerated it before, but you have no excuse now."

"If you wish," Oisin still felt uncomfortable. Decades of Imperial service had made informality alien. "Can I at least call you 'sir', or 'ma'am'," he whispered.

"'Sir' is fine," she whispered back, smiling briefly.

"Exiting supercruise now," reported the helmsman.

The view out of the canopy became obscured by a blue haze while a dull hum announced the frame-shift drive was disengaging. With a slight lurch, and a loud boom, the ship dropped to sub-luminal speeds. Short minutes later, another ship dropped out of supercruise barely ten kilometres away. This vessel lacked the grace and elegance of Oisin's Imperial Cutter, though that didn't hamper the presence it carries. The Anaconda class is a force to be reckoned with. This particular Anaconda is the _Valiant_ , the flagship for the mercenary group 'The Knights Valiant' which served as the Network's military. Captained by a man who is known only as 'Juggernaut' Josh, the Knights Valiant are loyal to Cyril, and not just because he pays them well.

"Captain, the _Valiant_ is hailing us."

"Put him through."

A high quality hologram of Josh materialised in the centre of the bridge. He was a short yet solidly built man. Despite his apparent strength, he's quite unremarkable.

"Captain…Desmond, isn't it?" Josh just wanted to rile Oisin, he already knew exactly who he was talking to.

"Oisin, Captain Oisin," he spat.

"Oh, of course, Big O!" Josh chuckled to himself, "Desmond's the one with the 'flower' isn't he. Oh, and if it isn't the lovely miss Lenz, always a pleasure to see you."

Calli bowed her head slightly, more out of curtesy than actual respect.

"Where is our almighty Lord?" He said 'Lord' mockingly. Outsiders don't care much for the Imperial ranking system.

"I think he has decided to be fashionably late again," Calli postulated. Once thing she and Josh did share was a distaste for Cyril's arrogance. While Cyril had resisted the corruption of high power quite well, it had nonetheless made him overconfident, and that cost him his reign.

"We shouldn't proceed without him," said Oisin.

"Agreed," responded Josh, "Can we at least do the briefing? I'd like to know why we are out here. Now that we aren't tied to our Lord's deep bank accounts, we cannot afford to miss work opportunities. That, and he had the gall to ask me to spend thousands buying this useless hardware. This had better good."

"Oh, it is," said Calli.

. . . . . . . . . .

Calli and Oisin had moved to the operations room, just behind the bridge. Josh's hologram was already there, waiting for them. The three surrounded a round table which dominated the centre of the room. The lights dimmed and a hologram of the planet below appeared. Calli began the briefing.

"Two weeks ago, the salvage vessel _Hamilton_ disappeared within this system, which we are calling Zeta Primadae for now. Its exact fate is still unknown, though the following events lead us to believe the ship was…destroyed on this planet here, dubbed ZP-D2."

"Why aren't we using this system's real name?" asked Josh.

"Because HR 2551 Delta 2 is too long to say in conversation."

Even Josh agreed with that logic.

"Cyril Caelus, of course, felt curious about this common and uninteresting occurrence. Unfortunately for him, he did discover something. His initial expedition resulted in the loss of his ship, the _Deviant Reprisal_ , and, very nearly, the loss of his life."

Recorded footage of the ground swallowing the _Reprisal_ , followed by Cyril's narrow escape, replaced the image of the planet above the table.

"For this loss, nothing was gleaned. We only have the patchy images of a malfunctioning ground penetrating radar and the words of Lord Caelus and Captain Oisin."

"And unfortunately, Lord Caelus's words may not be accurate," despite the shame Oisin felt speaking ill of his Lord, it needed to be said, "He says he saw a face in the settlement, though investigation of his SRV footage didn't show anything of the sort. He was brought aboard my ship in a very sorry state; panic stricken and incoherent."

Josh smiled.

"Don't you dare think of insulting him!" Oisin yelled at the mercenary.

Josh held up his arms, "I would never do such a thing. I hope to be swimming in his bank accounts soon after all. You mentioned a settlement?"

"Yes," said Calli, as a hologram of the small town appeared. "Dixon Dock. It's abandoned, though both Cyril's SRV and the _Donnager_ detected anomalous readings from it. It also contained a distress beacon which had been disabled not long before Oisin and Cyril arrived."

Josh leaned in, "Ok, this is getting interesting now. Settlements usually have some pretty good salvage. We could turn a tidy profit from this."

"Have you forgotten the _Reprisal_ was swallowed whole?" asked Oisin, shocked at this mercenary's disregard for his ship and crew.

"We won't land; we'll just use grappling hooks."

"The settlement is not to be tampered with," ordered Calli sternly.

Josh retreated and made a mock salute. "You're the boss, boss," he said, disappointed.

Calli and Oisin looked blankly at the hologram of the settlement. A look of apprehension crossed their faces.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" asked Josh.

Calli and Oisin looked at each other, then at Josh.

"Cyril's Wave Scanner detected some…strange things," Calli said slowly.

"Like…?" Josh was getting impatient.

"Changes in area density. Movement."

"I thought you said the colony was abandoned?"

"It is. There's no heat, no energy, no life."

"Could you start making sense here…?" Josh was interrupted by one of his crewman. He muted his audio and lent to one side. Moments later, one of the _Donnager's_ crew requested entry. Oisin permitted it, and Maeve, the systems officer, entered.

"Cyril's Python has entered the system."

"Finally," Calli sighed.

Josh reactivated his audio, "I'm assuming that…" he saw Maeve, "um…gorgeous woman has just told you our 'Lord' has arrived."

"Indeed," replied Oisin.

"Well then, let's get underway." Josh's hologram disintegrated.

. . . . . . . . . .

The _Fate's Reach_ docked with the _Donnager_ and its only occupant, Cyril Caelus, embarked upon the Imperial vessel. Cyril made his way to the ship's bridge where Captain Oisin and Calli Lenz were waiting for him.

Oisin bowed. "Good to see you, my Lord."

Calli simply smiled, "Ditto. We have already briefed Josh on the situation, we decided to leave mission details to you."

"Thank you Calli. Open a line to the _Valiant_."

"There already is one," spat a spiteful Josh, "When will you pay me back?"

"You'll be happy to know that that money was not wasted. Those drones will prove vital to this mission.

"For 800,000 credits, they better!"

"800,000 credits for drones?" asked Calli.

"Not just any drones. Core Dynamics S6 Reconnaissance Skimmers; ground penetrating radar, wave scanners, cameras, the works. And, they don't touch the ground, so hopefully they won't trigger whatever is… 'eating' ships."

"They'd better be safe," said Josh.

"Prepare drones for launch. Set a course for Dixon Dock." ordered Cyril.

"Shall we launch fighters?" asked Oisin.

"No. Let's keep fighters in reserve, just in case."

"As you wish."

. . . . . . . . . .

The cargo hatch of the _Donnager_ lowered followed by Maeve reporting that the first drone was away. What was essentially a flying box glided gently down towards the settlement, carried by two large rings emitting exotic electromagnetic fields which kept the skimmer in flight. At the front was a large 'eye' which contained various instruments; a camera and radar to name but two. It wasn't long before all four drones were zipping around the small settlement, ardently scanning and observing any nook and cranny they could find, while sending all the data back to the two large ship hovering a few kilometres away. Cyril watched the activity. Images of his narrow escape permeated his thoughts. He tried his best to keep to logical analysis, ignoring the emotions attached to the memories.

Calli looked up at him, and saw the fear in his eyes. She put a hand on his shoulder and asked quietly, "Are you alright?"

"It's strange," he whispered, "I'm two kilometres away, behind a seventeen-hundred mega joule shield and military grade armour, but I still don't feel safe. That colony…it scares me."

"Oh, neat," a young male voice intruded on comms. It was a member of the _Valiant's_ crew.

"What is it?" asked Cyril.

"That building there…" a large structure in the middle of one of the drone feeds became outlined, "…that is a prefab laboratory. Very expensive, to both build _and_ move. The equipment in there is too sensitive to be dissembled. I once saw one being loaded onto a Panther Clipper. They had to remove its entire lower hull, beneath the cargo hold, just to get it in."

"More mysteries," whispered Calli.

"Actually, this is our first answer. This is a science outpost," announced a reinvigorated Cyril.

"Called Dixon _Dock_?" questioned Josh.

"Ok, a clandestine science outpost. My point being, this place may have been set up to study whatever has been happening here."

"But how did they even set the place up in the first place?" asked Calli. "Your ship was eaten within minutes of you landing. It would take days to build…"

Cyril face darkened.

"I'm sorry…"

"No, its fine. You're right, it's just more mysteries."

"Seismic activity!" reported Maeve.

Everyone turned.

"Why?" asked Oisin, "The drones aren't even touching the ground."

"Seismic activity is holding at a steady low; it may just be a coincidence."

"Must be," said Cyril, not entirely convinced.

Ten minutes past. No new discoveries. There was nothing, not even the anomalous signals, movement readings or seismic activity detected previously. The views inside the structures showed only what was expected - nothing - but it was difficult to get a clear image anyway. It was as if they returned to the wrong settlement. Cyril was becoming disheartened. He had nothing to prove, the proof of what he experienced was irrefutable, but the feeling he may never know more about this place began to wear him down. That was, until, one of the drone operators spotted something. He moved the skimmer in for a closer look, and sure enough, the first major discovery made itself known. The 'black box' recorder from an SRV. The drone extended an appendage and retrieved the box before flying back to the _Donnager_.

"Seismic activity!" Maeve called out.

"More of it?" asked Cyril.

"Yes, and it's getting stronger, centred on the settlement."

"Have the drones raise altitude," ordered Oisin.

"Um…what is that?" asked a confused Calli, who was looking out the left side of the ship.

The others looked. Forming on the cliff face to the east of the settlement was a short wall of sand which swept down and covered the settlement. The telemetry feeds for the three remaining drones went dark. In seconds, the wall passed. The sand fell and rested on a plain in the distance. When they looked back towards the settlement, the drones were gone.

"Where did the drones go?"

"I don't know," Cyril, his face aghast, "But the more important question is; how is there wind on a planet with no atmosphere?"

Josh growled, "You owe me 600,000."

. . . . . . . . . .

Cyril, Oisin, Calli and Josh all stood around the hologram table in the operations room while a specialist worked on connecting it to the ship.

"We've already analysed it, sir," reported the specialist, "Much of its data was corrupted somehow and what does remain is no different from the data gathered from Lord Caelus' SRV during venture. There is a message which has been forcibly placed in its memory, however. We have not viewed this message, sir."

"Play it when ready," said Oisin.

The specialist hooked up the black box and sifted through its files for the message. It stood out, the only file with a name that didn't follow the pattern of the rest. He opened it. A patchy hologram of a middle aged man materialised.

" _I am Commander Whittaker of the the…formally of the salvage vessel_ Hamilton _."_ The voice was breathy and unclear, as if he was whispering in panic. _"If you are listening to this message, it means you have come down to this settlement. Run! Now! This place is_ not _abandoned, I repeat,_ not _,_ _abandoned. I don't know what's going on here, but it isn't good. If you value your life, you will turn away now and never come back. Don't try to find me, I will already be dead."_ The sound of something banging and scraping could be heard in the back ground behind his voice, then the message ended.

Everyone in the room just stood back and analysed what they had just heard.

"We need boots on the ground," said Calli, calmly.

There was a collective "What!?" from the others, even the specialist.

"After all that, you still want to go down there?" asked Josh, "I'll admit, you've got balls, but why risk getting gobbled up by another wall of sand?"

"If I do get 'eaten' it won't be by a wall of sand, I'll be swallowed by the ground, but even that won't happen. We'll see it coming and we will be ready."

"We?"

"I can't carry all the equipment myself. Maeve has already voiced her desire to use a ground probe to get more detailed seismic measurements and I want to explore what's inside those buildings, the drones were never able to get a clear picture."

"Despite what this Whittaker said, you still want to go down?"

" _Because_ of what Commander Whittaker said I want to go down. How was he able to record that message? He was in an atmosphere. The SRV wouldn't function if the black box was not present and you cannot manually input data into a black box through the SRV's systems. For some reason, he removed his black box and entered one of those buildings. It's the only explanation."

"Regardless," Oisin chimed in, "the final decision rests with Lord Caelus."

Calli looked over at him. Cyril was strangely pensive; a look of deep thought and concentration dominated his face while he stared at the black box sitting on the table, though it was unlikely he was looking at anything in particular. "Cyril?" she asked.

Cyril looked up at her. "I have every reason to stop you," he said slowly and calmly, "even my own curiosity, at this point, is struggling to hold on. We aren't learning anything yet we are continuing to lose equipment. I would rather not lose lives. I don't think whatever's here wants us to learn about it."

"So there will be no expedition?" asked Calli with a touch of disappointment.

Cyril sighed.

"Cyril, in the end, I'm choosing to put my life at risk. Those I take with me are equally aware of the risks, but we want to know. I know you are concerned about the wrong people discovering, maybe even taming, whatever is here. If we leave, that is almost certainly going to happen. We _must_ understand this, if only to allow us to combat it in the future if need be." She was trying to appeal to Cyril's benevolent nature.

"Oisin?" he asked, seeking support.

"I cannot speak for Lady Lenz, but if Maeve is aware of the risks, she was here with us before. If she wishes to go down onto the planet, I will not stop her."

"Josh?"

"Humph, if any of my crew want to commit suicide, who am I to stop them?"

Cyril gave in. "Ok Calli. Form your team.

She smiled, "Thank you."


	3. Chapter 3

'Boots on the ground'. There is nowhere else in human occupied space where that phrase would invoke such fear and trepidation. The ground here has eaten ships and drones, who's to say it doesn't eat people? Despite this, Maeve jumped at the opportunity. She bolted to the ship's lab and retrieved as much equipment as she could carry, even offloading some onto Calli.

"Even though I am grateful for your willingness to go down, I still cannot understand it," Calli said while packing the equipment bag.

"Despite all I have seen on my monitors, I still have not actually _seen_ anything, and what I have seen on my monitors I cannot explain." Maeve was much more comfortable with informality than her commanding officer, especially with Calli. It was Maeve who transmitted Calli's message all those years ago, exposing the Citrine Corporation's heinous scientific experiments. The same message that cost Calli her career at Imperial Intelligence. The two shared ideals, namely that the Empire needs to change to 'keep up with the times'. "The real trick will be convincing the mercenaries to go down."

Surprisingly, the crew of the _Valiant_ was also eager to go down. Apparently, the rule of 'finders, keepers' is a great motivator, and the fact that this was a science settlement guaranteed valuable loot. Calli chose three men, all soldiers (or 'knights' as the group liked to say), mostly for scouting purposes, though also for their big guns. Prudence is a virtue.

Calli and Maeve boarded Cyril's Python, docked with the _Valiant_ to pick up the three soldiers - Andrew, Patrik and Drane - then landed just outside the settlement. They were told, unsurprisingly, that seismic activity grew, but was holding steady at an imperceptible level. What was surprising were the anomalous energy readings which suddenly flared into existence. Both the _Donnager_ and _Valiant_ detected these signals which were the same as ambient signals detected on Cyril's first venture. Calli asked for the last surviving drone to act as the sixth member of the team as it was the only thing with a Wave Scanner.

The five walked under the banner bearing the settlement's name as the drone flitted by overhead. Maeve, as quickly as the low gravity permitted her, made her way to the middle of the 'main road' splitting the settlement in two. There, she pulled out her seismic probe - a long pole with a computer monitor at the top and a point at the bottom - and stabbed it into the ground. The seismic probe is essentially a unidirectional, highly potent, sonar device which can form detailed images of what is underground. This handheld version isn't as powerful as the larger, vehicle sized ones but it gets the job done just as well. Calli ordered the three mercenaries to split up and explore at will while she helped Maeve.

"Whoa!" The drone operator called out. "Sirs, I have movement, lots of it!"

"Where?" asked Calli, looking around instinctively, but not seeing anything.

"Everywhere, the Wave Scanner is saturated."

"This is odd," Maeve whispered to herself.

Calli looked at the seismic probe but couldn't understand it. She asked Maeve to be more specific.

"I'm not getting an image. Well, I am…it's just blank."

Calli looked up at the science module. As the spotlight from the drone swept past it from behind, she could swear she saw the silhouette of a head peering out at them. She asked if Maeve could handle things there before making her way over to the module for a closer look.

"Knights, report in."

"Andrew here, nothing to report so far. The darkness is making this difficult."

"Patrik. Shadow, shadow, and more shadow. I'm gonna search some of the buildings for 'reclaimable' items."

"You will do nothing of the sort until we give clearance," Calli ordered firmly.

"This is Drane. I haven't seen anything, but think I'm picking up movement on my infrared scanner from one of these houses. I'm going to investigate."

"Ah, yes, Drane the Drone," mocked Patrik.

"You gonna take some samples in there too?" Andrew continued.

"I know you two are useless flux-stains, but if I'm going to be the only to take this seriously, can you at least leave me in peace to do so?" Drane, while he did his best to hide it, spoke with definite Imperial sophistication. It is possible he was from a noble family, probably seeking to escape the confining lifestyle.

"I appreciate your help here, Drane. Be careful," said Calli, trying to help him.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Ma'am? Oooh, now we know why he took this mission," teased Patrik.

"Oh, shut up."

Calli had arrived at the stairs leading up to the entrance to the science module. A moment of fear washed across her.

 _Do I really want to know what's in there?_

" _Donnager_ , do you read?" asked Maeve.

"Loud and clear, Lieutenant. What is it?"

"Sir, I need a hi-rez ground radar survey on my position. The narrow band seismic probe is useless."

"Ok, Lieutenant, stand by."

In the distance, the white form of the _Donnager_ made its approach. In the few days of preparation for this venture, the various systems on the ship, which had deteriorated after a year in storage, had been repaired. The team didn't realise how nervous they were until the comforting presence of an allied ship made itself known.

"I'm going to switch to the wide-scan probe," Maeve announced.

The sight of the _Donnager_ overhead gave Calli new confidence. She pushed her doubt aside and began the climb. They've come this far, no reason to stop now. Once she reached the door, she asked the Drone operator for a detailed scan of the building.

"Apologies ma'am," replied the operator, "I cannot get a clear picture, the building must be lined with absorptive materials."

"I'm going into the science module," Calli announced. She gathered her strength and pulled open the sliding door. She was surprised by how easy it was; it wasn't locked our obstructed. Calli looked around. There was nothing, as expected, but something was moving, she could feel it.

"Incredible!" said Maeve.

"What?"

"The ground…It's alive!"

"Alive? Please be more specific." Maeve's announcement caused the fear to return. Calli pulled out her pistol and infra- scanner, holding both out in front of her, scanning the room.

The _Donnager's_ system's officer broke in, "Anomalous signals are growing stronger. Movement patterns increasing."

"It's difficult to describe," Maeve continued, "Like hundreds of tiny pin-pricks moving around in an unpredictable, almost organic, way. I'm going to get a sample of the sand."

"Meave, how big are this 'pin-pricks'" Calli asked.

"Microscopic."

The drone's spotlight swept the module again from the distance. A shadow burst across the far wall. Whatever was in here was definitely not microscopic. She turned slowly. The scanner was giving her nothing, just the black shapes of objects exposed to the cold of space.

A scream echoed across the communications line. It was one of the mercenaries. Calli jumped in fright. Something lunged at her. She fired her pistol instinctively, causing the thing to wretch back, giving her the time she needed to escape.

"Team, report!" she called. She could see Maeve still working on her probe, so Calli wasn't concerned when she didn't call in. Andrew and Patrik responded as they emerged from the shadows of the buildings, but Drane did not.

"Seismic activity increasing rapidly!" called the systems officer.

"Calli, get your team out of there," ordered Cyril.

"Not yet," she said, "We have a man missing."

"Seismic activity is centred on the _Fate's Reach_."

"Oh, not again," said Cyril, as dust burst high to conceal the now doomed Python. This loss wasn't as hard hitting as the _Deviant Reprisal_ , but that ship was still worth millions. The dust settled. An unmarred landscape bore no trace of the vessel.

"Seismic activity has settled, though is still strong."

Meanwhile, Calli and the two mercs were scouring the route taken by the third - Drane. His footprints lead into one of the pre-fab houses. They entered, slowly, guns ready. In the middle of the room lay an EV suit. It was torn and tattered, but the markings of The Knights Valiant were still clearly recognisable.

"What the hell did that?" asked a distressed Andrew.

Patrik walked over and carefully picked up the suit and helmet.

"What is that!?" Maeve's voice burst through the comm line, "No, stay back! HELP!"

"Calli, get your team out of there now! That is an order!" Cyril called.

Maeve's shrill scream filled their helmets as Calli and the mercs ran as fast they could back to the main road, but they were too late. As they rounded a building, they saw naked legs disappearing into the science module. In the middle of the road was the portable seismic scanner, a sample container and an equipment pack, but meters from it rested Maeve's ripped space suit.

"Seismic activity spiking!"

Cyril called out again. Oisin ordered the _Donnager_ down. Calli retrieved Maeve's helmet cam and the mercs grabbed the equipment then they ran towards the extraction zone. The _Donnager_ extended is boarding ramp and held position metres away from the settlement.

Cracks in the ground began to form around the team as dust flew up to obscure their vision. Only the bright blue glow from the _Donnager's_ thrusters guided their run. The ground began to shake violently, and more than once threatened to trip her up. The two mercs ahead of her jumped onto the _Donnager's_ ramp. Calli was seconds from safety when the ground fell from beneath her. She made one desperate jump for the ramp, but fell short. She flailed her arms, dropping Maeve's suit, and a wave of despair washed over her as hopelessness set in. But she was rudely awakened by a tug on her arm. She looked up. One of the mercenaries leapt off of the ramp to grab onto her hand. The other merc was lying on his stomach holding onto his friend. Calli felt movement as the _Donnager_ pulled away slowly, but she could swear the sand was tugging on her lightly. Long seconds later, the dust finally cleared. She was slowly pulled back onto the ship as the docking ramp closed behind them.

Cyril stormed into the room and made a beeline for Calli, who was struggling trying to remove helmet. Cyril bent down and helped her. Once the helmet was off she collapsed, hyperventilating.

"You…!" Cyril began, but Calli looked up at him with wide fearful eyes.

"What is down there?" she asked, absently.

Cyril relaxed and pulled Calli into an embrace. "I don't know," he said softly as she burst into tears.

"Do we get a hug too sir?" joked Andrew.

. . . . . . . . . .

Calli was resting in sickbay. She was physically fine, but recovering from an acute panic attack not dissimilar to what Cyril felt after his first venture. Cyril was by her side the entire time, trying to understand the incoherent babbling at first, then offering sympathy and understanding when her tale became more coherent. Despite the pain and loss, Cyril felt relieved about the discovery of 'creatures' in the settlement. He _did_ see a face on his first venture, it wasn't a hallucination.

"I didn't see it," she said, sitting on the edge of the medbay bed, "it was too dark, and it moved so fast. I'm not even sure if I killed it."

"At least you got out alive," Cyril tried to comfort her, "The equipment you…"

"I left the door open. That…thing killed Maeve. I let it kill Maeve," Calli stared intently at Cyril.

"You said the door was easy to open. Sure this creature could have opened it itself anyway"

"But I left her alone! I did the wrong thing."

Cyril moved to sit next to Calli. "I know how horrible you must feel, I've lost people under my command too, some of them best friends."

"I've lost people before too," Calli looked sternly at him, "I'm not an amateur, I know the job. This time, _I_ made the mistake." Calli stood up. "Can I go now?" she asked the doctor, who gave an affirmative nod. She stormed out of the room.

Cyril sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'm the wrong person for this," Cyril sighed.

"I know it's not my place to say, my Lord," the Doctor began, "But you are. She does trust you. I'm no psychologist, but I've never seen a trauma patient so open about their fears as she is with you. Give her time, she's still recovering. She'll open up eventually."

. . . . . . . . . .

Cyril entered the bridge and was about to ask for the equipment recovered from the expedition, but then he saw everyone's faces. They were white as a sheet, their eyes wide. "What is it? You look like you've all seen a ghost."

Cyril was not aware of the irony of that statement. Oisin ordered the systems officer to 'play it again'.

" _Captain? Are you receiving_?" It was Maeve's voice, but flat and monotone, as if devoid of life. " _The colony is safe; you can come down now_."

"But…" was all Cyril could muster.

" _Captain? Are you receiving_? _The colony is safe; you can come down now_."

"What the hell has happened to my crew member!?" yelled Oisin at Cyril.

Cyril just stood there. "I…"

" _Captain? Are you receiving_? _The colony is safe; you can come down now_."

"Captain, the _Valiant_ is hailing us."

"But him through," Oisin said through gritted teeth.

The voice of an angry Josh came over the loudspeakers, "Why is my supposedly dead soldier now telling me to go down into the settlement? He doesn't even sound right!"

 _It knew Drane came from a different ship?_

Oisin fixed Cyril with a stare. "Lady Calli retrieved Maeve's equipment, did she not?"

"Yes, she did," Cyril said slowly.

"Um, sirs," the quivering voice of the drone operator interrupted them.

"What?" Oisin was almost yelling.

"Look," the operator pointed at his screen.

He had been continuing to explore the settlement with his drone, but he caught something with its camera, something nobody wanted to see. The operator rewound to footage and froze it. There, peeking out at the drone from the science module, illuminated by the drone's light, was a face, if you could call it that. Its skin was dark and wrinkled, its eyes were wide and utterly alien. Its mouth was nearly perfectly round. Its lips were torn and teeth could be seen jutting out from places they shouldn't. A viscous green substance oozed from nearly every orifice. It was utterly grotesque, but the scariest part is, the face was familiar. There was no mistaking the shape of its features. It was Commander Whittaker of the _Hamilton_.

Oisin, breath trembling, turned to Cyril. "We have no reason to remain here…or to leave this place standing."

"Ah, now he speaks my language," said Josh, unaffected by the horror, "Let's turn this place to flux."

Cyril too felt the urge to destroy this place, he felt it when he was lifted off of it mere days ago. They could annihilate it, these two ships had the weaponry to do so, but this grotesque image only served to increase his curiosity. Whatever was sending this messages under the guise of what it takes is aware of the two ships. They knew so little about this place. Still, his options were limited. Lives had been lost now. With each expedition they lose much and gain little.

"I would love nothing more than to rid the galaxy of this enigma, and when the time comes, I would even bring the _Seraph_ out of mothballs to do so. But, before we act too hastily, we should at least analyse the data that Calli's team brought back. We don't want to make this…thing worse."

Oisin stared at him. "Unbelievable! You want to keep studying this place? It almost took your life; you should be the one pulling the trigger!"

"Oisin, you aren't thinking straight."

"And what makes you say that?"

"You haven't called me Lord once in this entire conversation." Cyril didn't care for the title of Lord, but Oisin did. Imperial tradition was very important to him.

Oisin sighed. He pushed back the rage. Cyril was right. But he knew that destroying this place was the right thing to do. "I understand, but I still say we destroy this place…my Lord."

"We will, in time," Cyril smiled disarmingly.

"Very well. I'll have the team's data analysed."

"Oh, come on," said Josh, "Just as I was getting to like you."


	4. Chapter 4

Cyril began the meeting. "Time to go over what we have learnt over the past few days. Calli has been working with a team of specialists from both ships…"

"Ugh, we know," Josh rudely interrupted, much to the disapproval of captain Oisin, "just cut to the chase. What's with this place?"

"Calli will answer any questions we have," said Cyril, showing indifference to Josh's rudeness.

"I want to know about the creepy voices of our dead crew," he said.

"They were artificially generated," Calli began, "voice analysis confirmed that. Their source and purpose, however, is still unknown."

"So they weren't our crew members then

"This is what Maeve managed to retrieve before she…disappeared." A hologram of the sample container dominated the room before the view zoomed in on the myriad of particles within it. "Most of this is sand, and we had to look very closely to see what was concealed within it." The view centred on something that was _not_ a sand particle. It looked a bit like a jellyfish, though it didn't move like one. It was also solid metal, no joints or separations could be seen on its ellipsoid body or short tentacles, yet all of it moved, squeezing through the sand particles like an octopus through a reef.

"What is it?" asked Josh, who seemed to be the only one not moved by this discovery.

"We…don't know," replied Calli, "We're calling them 'nanobots' for now, though we don't know if they are artificial or organic. They do behave in a specific way through, and they respond to external stimulus, though not to light, so it's likely their blind."

"Is this what was…eating our ships?" asked Cyril, who was transfixed on the object.

"We don't know," she said, frustration creeping into her voice, "For all the tests we've done, for all the data we've obtained, we don't know what this is, where it came from, what its purpose is and what role it has played over the past few days."

"How about the zombies then?" asked Josh.

"Analysing the images…did nothing but give me nightmares. We wouldn't be able to find out what they are, and how they came to be, without some sort of sample."

"So, let's just recap," Josh began, "The creepy voices; we don't know their source. The ground eating ships; we don't know for certain what causes that. The zombies in the settlement; we don't know where they came from. These 'jellyfish'; a new discovery, but we don't know what they are. The anomalous energy readings; we…"

"Ok, enough!" yelled Calli.

Silence descended upon the room. As much as they hated to admit it, Josh was right. They have learned nothing.

"Calli, is there anything else?" Cyril asked softly, trying to calm her down.

"No," she sighed. "That was all we had to show for two days worth of analysis."

"So, no reason not to blow this place up," said Josh, "Unless, of course, our 'Lord' wishes to waste more time and resources in an attempt to learn nothing else."

"Josh, you make it so hard to agree with you," said Cyril, who was getting frustrated as well, "But you are right. We have already lost so much for so little. We cannot afford to let this place endanger others. Yet, I won't make the decision alone. This will be a group vote. I say we destroy this place."

Josh crossed his arms, "You already know my stance."

Calli, with the horrible memories of her experience - the 'zombie', her narrow escape, Maeve's lifeless body being dragged into a building - flowing through her mind voted in favour of destruction.

Oisin, regardless of his vote, wouldn't be able to sway the outcome, not that he wanted to anyway. He remembered the _Deviant Reprisal_ being swallowed in a cloud of dust, and his leader's own narrow escape from the same fate. He voted for destruction.

"So, we are in agreement. The task will be carried out at Oisin's discretion."

. . . . . . . . . .

The fighter bay of the _Donnager_ deployed, but instead of a small craft on the pad, there was a massive cannon. The Thunderer cannon, which is where the name of the ship comes from, was designed to combat ground fortifications. While it is capable of firing standard shells, that's not what Thunderer is meant for. It can fire specially designed sonic disruptor shells which generate potent seismic tremors. Anything underground is pulverised by the waves and fortification foundations are shattered, making them easy pickings for weapons which they would normally shrug off. The nanoprobes and whatever else was under there would become indistinguishable from the sand around them.

Despite its power, the Thunderer is still only in prototype stage, so using it requires a strict regimen. The crew buzzed, constantly reporting status and target information to the fire directors in the converted fighter storage bay.

" _Cannon loaded_ ," came a voice over comms.

"Cannon loaded, captain, safety disengaged, coils charged," reported the weapons officer.

"Target point acquired, firing solution plotted," the systems officer turned, "Weapon ready, captain."

Oisin gave one last questioning look to Cyril. Despite their unanimous decision to destroy Dixon Dock, the ever looming threat of what may happen chips away at their certainty. Nevertheless, the certain threat of their inaction is far greater than the possible threat of their action. Cyril nodded.

"Command approve. Fire weapon."

"Command approve," echoed the weapons officer.

Moments later, a loud hum sounded for a few seconds before a thump reverberated through the ship as the cannon fired. The metal cylinder tore through space before colliding with the soft sand. The drill bit at the tip submerged the shell even deeper before it detonated. The intense kinetic energy of the explosion was transformed into seismic waves which rocked and pulverised anything solid beneath the surface. Another shell was fired, impacting opposite the settlement from the first. The effect was the same, but the seismic waves from the two shells met under the settlement which caused an even more destructive reaction. The waves bounced back, twice as strong, turning rock into sand. The settlement crumbled as the ground beneath it crumbled.

The waves settled. No seismic activity or energy signatures could be detected. The deed was done. Dixon dock, and whatever it concealed, was destroyed.

. . . . . . . . . .

Despite their efforts being successful, it was pyrrhic victory. For their losses, no real answers were gleaned. Subsequent expeditions into the settlement revealed nothing. The 'mutants' were gone, leaving no trace, and both the _Donnager_ and the _Valiant_ were able to land safely. They stayed for another two days to ensure that they had succeeded in eliminating the nanoprobes.

Dixon Dock was no more. Its buildings lay mangled, their interiors exposed the vacuum of space. However, even in this state, the settlement had one more mystery to throw at them. Secret passages were found in several buildings. Analysis revealed they connected the buildings, providing subterranean access between the settlement's more important structures. This in itself was nothing special, settlements and colonies often have underground passageways to allow people to get around without a spacesuit, but these tunnels had been intruded upon. Ground penetrating radar revealed that, in every tunnel, extra openings were carved out. These led to a different tunnel system which had a different, almost organic, architecture. They led even deeper underground, but unfortunately, they were pulverised by the Thunderer shells.

"Lord Caelus?"

"I am satisfied with our investigation, as limited as it was forced to be. Please, extend my gratitude and admiration to you crew and Josh's, they performed brilliantly throughout this whole endeavour."

Oisin bowed, proud of his competency in the eyes of his leader, "It will be an honour, sir."

"Make ready to depart. I will head over to the _Valiant_ and…"

Alarms interrupted them. The ship's normal whit lights were extinguished, replaced with red. Combat lighting. Oisin and Cyril made their way up to the bridge.

"Captain…seismic activity is…"

"I know, I can see it," said Oisin. The ground was shaking. Dust and rocks could be seen vibrating. "It must be a side effect of the Thunderer cannon." Oisin opened a communication line to his crew on the surface. "Abandon the equipment, prepare for a hot retrieval."

The _Valiant_ was already airborne, flying over the mangled settlement, retrieving its crew using the Anaconda's multiple boarding ramps. The Cutter only had one at the front, but it was big, and enough to allow the crew to board quickly and safely. The _Valiant_ was first away, rotating to face up and engaging its massive engines to climb rapidly. Once everyone remaining (including several members of Josh's crew) were on board the _Donnager_ , the large white vessel made the same manoeuvre with a beautiful, soft melody that only Imperial engines are capable of. A few kilometres up, the ship turned to face the settlement.

The ground began to crack and corrugate before sand was flung high and dispersed wide which obscured the view, but not for long. A shape, a shadow, could be seen rising slowly. As the sand settled, the shape rose above the cloud. Despite all the pain and horror this thing wrought, it was difficult to say it wasn't beautiful. It was a structure, most likely a ship, but had no discernible windows or propulsion systems. It was composed of a single flowing spine which started large at one end and tapered back to the rear, though not linearly, it had symmetrical bulges and depressions all along it. At the top were four large 'petals'; beautifully crafted hunks of metal which jutted out perpendicular to the spine. Beneath these petals, also attached to the central spire, were eight spires which folded back and met up with the bottom of the main spire, giving an egg-whisk like appearance. The entire 'hull' was a greyish blue, but when the light from the setting sun hit it, the reflections gave off a purple hue. The entire construct was at least three kilometres long and, from petal to petal, about two kilometres wide.

Swarms of nanoprobes rose up from the sand forming scintillating ribbons which wove through the many trailing spires. They seemed to energise the hull, causing ripples of energy to flow like water wherever they went. The construct sat five hundred meters above the ground for a few minutes before continuing its ascent. It passed close to the _Donnager_ and _Valiant_ , missing them by at least a kilometre, but it payed no attention to the hostile who woke it from its slumber. As it rose, the petals folded up, adding another kilometre to its length. The spires began to glow and pulsate with unknown energy and a glowing bubble began to surround the construct. Moments later, it just disappeared. No flash, no fanfare of energy. It just disappeared.

. . . . . . . . . .

Cyril sat in his room aboard the _Donnager_ , absent-mindedly watching a recording of the large construct, dubbed Violet by Calli, rising from the planet. He wasn't paying much attention to the holo-vid though, he was focused on his thoughts.

 _If I had used the_ Seraph _, would I have destroyed this…Creature? Ship? Creature ship?_

Cyril had no idea how to feel about it. He could say he found it beautiful - Calli had no trouble doing that - but in the end, they don't know what role Violet played. Was it the source of the horror of Dixon Dock, or just a bystander? And even if it was the source, for what possible purpose would such a thing inflict suffering? Was it even aware it was inflicting pain? It's not that great a stretch to call Violet alien, though that being said, it didn't resemble anything like the other two known alien species humanity has encountered; the Thargoids and the Guardians. This was a new player.

Calli requested entry. Cyril granted it. As she walked in, she noticed the holo-vid of Violet playing. "Do you know what that is yet?" she asked.

"I wish." Cyril shook his head in disbelief. "That thing didn't have a scratch on it. It was lying underground for who knows how long, and we fired Thunderer shells at it, but no scratch, not even a dent. No wonder it ignored us as it flew past, we aren't a threat."

Calli sat down on a chair on the opposite side of the room.

"Though, I am curious if the _Seraph_ would be able to harm it."

"Let's hope we never find out," said Calli.

Cyril agreed. If Violet ever returned, it had better be benevolent, otherwise, humanity would be in strife.

There was a long pause in the conversation as the two continued to process what they had witnessed over past few days.

"We were lucky this venture."

"What? No we weren't! We lost two people, not to mention millions of credits worth of ships and equipment."

"We weren't discovered. Nobody stumbled onto us, nobody else learnt about what was here, and I want to keep it that way, at least for now." Cyril leant back and looked at the roof pensively. "Information. Everyone is gathering information, yet the people who should be the ones doing this - the superpowers - aren't. They are too busy looking within, scandals, politics and the like, so they are blissfully unaware of without. Something big is coming, and we need to be ready." Cyril looked back at Calli. "This is our little piece of information. It isn't much, but it may get us closer to whoever, or whatever, is pulling the strings in the galaxy."

"You're not going to go public about what we found here?"

"That depends on the powers that be. The key to being heard isn't to shout to everyone, but to whisper to the right people. Those who seek to use this information will contact us, at least, that's the way it's worked before.

"The Dark Wheel turns; I just have to put myself in just the right position to be swept up by it."


End file.
